CULTURE OP THE ROSE. 63 



old wood attached. The heel should be trimmed smooth 

 with a sharp knife : the cuttings may be six or eight inches 

 long. Strip off any leaves which may still adhere to them, 

 and plant4hem in rows, at a depth of about five inches, in 

 a cold frame. The soil should be very light, and thoroughly 

 drained : water it, to settle it, around the cuttings. On 

 the approach of frost, they should be protected with boards 

 and mats, giving them air on fine days during winter. In 

 the spring, a white cellular growth called a " callus " will 

 have formed at the heel of each cutting, which, if the 

 process succeeds, will soon emit roots, and become a plant. 



Propagation in summer from the half-ripe wood is a 

 better and less uncertain method. In June and July, im- 

 mediately after the blossoms wither, and before the rose 

 has begun its second growth, cuttings should be made of 

 the flower-stems. Each cutting may contain two or three 

 buds. The lower leaves must be taken off; but the upper 

 leaves must remain. Trim off the stem smoothly with a 

 sharp knife below the lowest bud, and as near to it as pos- 

 sible without injuring it. 



If the cuttings are taken off with a heel, as above de- 

 scribed, the chance of success will be greater. They may 

 now be inserted at the depth of an inch and a half around 

 the edge of a small pot filled one-third with broken crocks, 



